Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's narrative and design directors leave Infinity Ward

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season 4 - Captain Price
(Image credit: Activision, Infinity Ward)

Infinity Ward studio design director Taylor Kurosaki has left the studio alongside narrative director Jacob Minkoff, the pair announced on their respective Twitter feeds earlier this week.

Jumping on from Uncharted developer Naughty Dog, Kurosaki and Minkoff joined Infinity Ward during development of 'CoD in space' Infinite Warfare. But their mark is most felt in 2019's Modern Warfare, which marked a significant tonal shift for the studio (even if that grittier tone jarred with white phosphorus killstreak rewards).

It sounds like the pair will continue to work together going forwards, though they aren't quite ready to reveal what they'll be working on next.

"Earlier this year, we decided to move on from Infinity Ward to pursue a rare and exciting new opportunity," the two directors shared in a joint statement. "It was an honour to be a part of the studio for the last 7 years and we're so proud of what we created together with Modern Warfare and Infinite Warfare."

With Call of Duty now on a three year development cycle, it'll be at least another year before we find out what Infinity Ward is working on. This year's entry has been confirmed to be developed by Sledgehammer games, and rumour has it we'll be returning to World War 2 with a project currently titled "Vanguard".

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.